Construction Digital Twin: From Early Design to Project Delivery

Abstract

The construction industry is currently facing the change of digitalization. The fragmented nature of construction projects is challenging the collaboration and innovation needed for the industry and society to benefit from the digitalization. The purpose of this research is to investigate the digital twin technology as a tool to integrate the different phases and actors of the construction industry, from early design to the project delivery. The current literature describes the digital twin as a concept that can lead towards a smarter construction, a smarter built environment and the dream of a smart planet. The digital twin has already increased the quality among products in the manufacturing industry and interconnected the factory and production with the external world. A mixed method approach was conducted to investigate digital twin initiatives broadly in the built environment and more in dept in the construction industry. The result showed that digital twin technology is on the agenda on a global scale, with innovation efforts being shared and coordinated. On a more local scale, cities and real estate owners talk about digital twins while design and construction are starting to digitalize their practices and collaboration between actors. The digitalization and sustainability are expected to revolutionize the industry and the digital twin has to be initiated at the same time as the idea of a new construction project is born. When the digital twin becomes nurtured of information in the early design as well as the design and construction phase the digital twin can survive the project delivery and, in that way, increase the quality of assets being delivered and increase the sustainability condition for society and the built environment.